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SUSTAINABLE FINANCING OF MPAs IN THE MEDITERRANEAN: A FINANCIAL ANALYSIS

Regarding the benefits provided by effective management
This report does not compare the financing gaps for effective management of MPAs with the
benefits these MPAs provide. An effective MPA system is known to ensure the provision of
market (fisheries, tourism & recreation, education, biodiversity) and non-market (regulation
of coastal erosion, water quality, carbon sequestration, regulation of submersion, etc.)
marine ecosystem services. It is thus key to consider the required investments to cover the
financing gap to achieve the targets in the light of the benefits of such investments provided
in terms of employment, preservation of Mediterranean natural assets for tourism, provision
of ecological functions (such as water quality and reduction of coastal erosion) and the
overall contribution to climate change mitigation (through the protection of seagrass beds)
and adaptation (through increased resilience of coastal systems).

6.2 Recommendations for decision-makers

The study made it possible to draft some key recommendations for decision-makers. These
include the following:

Regarding MPA financing in the Mediterranean
▪ There is an urgent need to consider an increase in current financing for existing
MPAs in the Mediterranean region, where only 12% of the financial needs for
effective management of MPAs are covered.
▪ National budgets are quite constant over the study period and essential for the
operating activities of MPAs. Countries need to consolidate their public funding with a
view to upgrading MPAs to the autonomous phase.
▪ Recipient countries are confronted with a diversity of approaches for mobilising
international funding. Each international source of financing has formalized its own
process of allocating financial resources, and such diversity requires a strong
national capacity to respond to the specific requirements for each funding source.

▪ The cost estimate for effective management of an MPA assumes that the MPA has
identified activities needed for the implementation of this level of management.
Hence, management planning is essential for assessment of financing gap at the
local level and is a precondition to ensuing the sustainability of the financial strategy.
In 2012, out of 80 surveyed MPAs, over 56% did not have a management plan.
▪ Marine Protected Areas have increased their financial resources by taking advantage
of a drive toward climate change mitigation and adaptation in available funds. From
current observation of ODA and the GEF, the nexus between climate change and
biodiversity is causing an upward trend in total biodiversity-related aid.
▪ Despite comprehensive institutional organisation, some countries are confronted by a
lack of coordination between entities (central agencies responsible for MPAs), which
in turn affects the permanent and consistent flow of resources. In some countries
(such as Monaco and Montenegro), private donations have a prominent role in
financing Protected Areas, either from the private sector or NGOs.
▪ The current analysis only considered financial aspects as a barrier to sustainable
management and financing . Structural barriers, such as limited division of
responsibilities between different institutions that share the responsibility for financing
and/or managing MPAs, can be inconducive to cost-efficient operations. The legal
and regulatory framework governing the financing of MPAs can also be a drag on

May 2015 – Vertigo Lab, for MedPAN, RAC/SPA and WWF Med. Page 89